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The Rhinos wrapped up the preseason on Saturday with a 3-0 win over the Montreal Impact Reserves at windy and still-cold (darn it!) Sahlen's Stadium. Rookie Minh Vu (12th minute), returnee JC Banks (36th) and newcomer Alex Dixon (83rd), a former MLS player in Houston with blazing speed, scored and Luis Soffner, who is on loan from New England (MLS), and rookie John McCarthy (LaSalle Unviersity), split time in goal to earn the shutout.

The 6-foot-3 McCarthy made a spectacular diving deflection of a 25-yard free kick in the second half.

"I thought both keepers looked comfortable," said Rochester coach Bob Lilley, whose team went 4-1-2 in the preseason with a win (Montreal-MLS reserve), tie (Ottawa-NASL)) and loss (Pittsburgh-USL) against pro teams. "That save was a big one. That would have made it 2-1. (McCarthy) has that ability."

He said he'll likely name a starter this week, but all three keepers, including returning backup Brandon Miller, could see action. The Rhinos open the season next Saturday at defending USL PRO champion Orlando, which Rochester has never beaten, then plays at Dayton (April 11) and Chicago (April 21) before the April 27 home opener against Charleston. The Rhinos have 21 players signed and may fill a couple more spots.

Look for my fully story on the match at www.DemocratandChronicle.com but here are some other notes from Saturday's finale:

INJURIES: Midfielders Lance Rozeboom (ankle) and rookie Alec Sundly (thigh) didn't play. Each are injured and Lilley termed them questionable for the season opener. Midfielder Steve Pinau, 25, a French international, left the match in the first half with a groin injury after some good early play. He impressed me, looks like a real pro on a team that's really young. Lilley said it's too soon to tell on the injury, so Pinau is also questionable for Orlando. "Hopefully it's minor so we have him available for next week," Lilley said.

SPEED KILLS: The Rhinos lacked that player who can run past people last year. In Alex Dixon, who arrives from Houston (MLS), that's no longer the case. Another Houston product, Colin Rolfe, started up top in a 4-5-1 formation and while he looked solid holding the ball, he doesn't have Dixon's pace. Dixon, however, is more of a wide player and not a true forward. I thought he had Max Ferdinand-type skills, then Lilley told me that's not all he has in common with the former talented Rhino. "He has unbelievable ability. He needs to be more involved in the game. He disappears for large stretches," Lilley said.

STILL ON TRIAL: Former Orlando player Johnny Mendoza and center back Babcar Diallo, a tall player who started alongside Kyle Hoffer, are still not under contract. Diallo goes at least 6-foot-3. He started a good counter in the second half with a long pass up the right side to Mendoza, who crossed it to Tyler Rosenlund. He then fed Banks, who ripped a good 19-yard shot that was just high. "I think there's a lot we need to clean up (with Diallo)," Lilley said. "He's played, but the system he's played in isn't necessarily the way we played. He is an athletic piece that has good size, is good in the air and had a good presence, but decision-making is important, too."

TOUGHEN UP? "It was a good opportunity to play a good team and get pushed around a little bit," Lilley said of Montreal, one of the four USL clubs he has coached for. " We'll have to continue to get better this week going into Orlando next weekend."

KEEP IT/SEND IT: With a young team, the Rhinos are still learning a lot, but the talent and drive looks to be there. "I think we've got to get more possession. I thought we just wanted to get in behind them, which is great, because I'm always telling them (that)," Lilley said. "That comes back to being a young team. We've got to be composed and know when do we keep it and when do we get behind. We're uneven right now in our performances. We just need to be more consistent with out performances."

THE STARTING LINEUP: Goal - Luis Soffner; defenders - Pat McMahon, Kyle Hoffer, Babacar Diallo, Ayao Sossou; midfielders - JC Banks, Tyler Rosenlund, Mike Garzi, Steve Pinau, Minh Vu; forward - Colin Rolfe. "You saw mostly starters but with injuries and other things, I wanted to see Diallo next to Hoffer and next to (center back Patrick) Slogic (who played in the second half," Lilley said. "There were some tweaks in the lineup because I wanted to see some things, but we put a representative side out there that we would expect should be out and go get a result."

IT'S MONTREAL, AFTER ALL: It was good to hear former Rhinos goalie and current assistant coach Scott Vallow mention, as the team huddled before the opening kickoff, about how the organization - no matter what the competition - takes a lot of pride in any results against Montreal, it's old A-League and MLS rival. That type of link to the past and what it means to be a Rhinos player is important.

NAME GAME: I think Minh Vu has the shortest name in the Rhinos' 19-year history. Anyone come up with shorter?